1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an emergency power shutdown management system. More particularly, the invention relates to such a system that consolidates, controls, and monitors the power off circuits for a room or other zone protected by a fire or explosion protection system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many buildings, factories, and other facilities include rooms or other zones protected by fire and/or explosion suppression equipment. Before and during operation of such suppression equipment, it is necessary to control and shut down certain electrically operated equipment. For example, before discharge of a fire or explosion suppression agent into a room, it is desirable to first shut down air handling units, exhaust fans, etc. to prevent interference with the dispersion of the suppression agent. It is also necessary to shut off all power and power distribution units to protect firefighters and other persons who may be in the room.
Emergency power-off controls are often provided for these purposes. Unfortunately most emergency power off controls are afterthoughts. They are designed, installed, and tested in the field at the end of a project in order to meet code minimum requirements and get the job signed off. Consequently, most jobs end up with a “decentralized” emergency power off system usually comprised of relays located in j-boxes scattered about the room, sub floor, and/or above ceilings; and unidentified and unmonitored circuit breakers that feed power to shunt-trip breakers and relays. Moreover, these systems are typically undocumented—no wiring diagrams, location of devices, and intended sequence of operation. Additionally, there are typically no easy ways to defeat these systems during routine maintenance. Emergency power off controls installed in this fashion are also subject to some troubling ongoing operational issues. For example, such systems can be unreliable in that wires can be disconnected or shunt-trip power circuits turned off rendering the controls useless with no trouble alarm or notification to users. Similarly, since there are no simple ways to disable these controls, accidental activation and thus accidental equipment shutdown can and does occur. Due to lack of documentation, changes or troubleshooting is cumbersome and costly.
There is therefore a need for an improved emergency power shutdown management system that overcomes the limitations of the prior art. More particularly, there is a need for a system that more effectively consolidates, controls, and monitors the power off circuits for a room or zone protected by a fire or explosion protection system.